France calls on Syria to cooperate with IAEA inspectors

Western officials bothered by suspicions regarding possible covert activities at alleged Syrian nuclear reactor site bombed by Israel in 2007.

syria nuclear reactor site 311.
(photo credit:Courtesy ISIS)

France on Wednesday called on Syria to show more transparency in its dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency concerning its the site of a suspected nuclear reactor it was allegedly building before it was destroyed in an Israeli air strike. The IAEA issued a report earlier this week claiming that Syria had refused to allow agency inspectors to visit the site.

"[The IAEA report] tackles the recent IAEA-Syria developments according to the general warranty agreement concluded by Syria. However, there are still some pending issues, namely regarding the nature of the Dair Alzour site," said a French foreign ministry spokesperson. "France backs all IAEA check-up activities and calls on Syria to show the concrete cooperation and transparency needed to shed light on its past and current nuclear activities."RELATED:Iran to Russia: Let's establish a nuclear consortiumBarak to head to Moscow to prevent missile sale to Syria

On Tuesday, the US representative to the IAEA said that the organization may consider a special inspection of Syria to answer nagging questions over its nuclear activities.

Glyn Davies said a number of countries on the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors support plans to invoke the rarely used sanction.

Like Iran, Syria is suspected of hiding weapons-related nuclear activities and has blocked access to a suspected nuclear site destroyed by Israeli warplanes in September 2007.

"We need to keep the focus very much on Iran — but stay tuned on Syria, because Syria I think would love to just stave off any serious action to get to the bottom of what they were doing," Davies told reporters in London.

A recent IAEA report said that uranium particles found at the Dair Alzour desert facility indicate possible covert nuclear activities. The finding supported Western allegations that the bombed target was a nearly completed nuclear reactor which the US alleges was of North Korean design and intended to produce weapons-grade plutonium.

On Tuesday, the US representative to the IAEA said that the organization may consider a special inspection of Syria to answer nagging questions over its nuclear activities.

Glyn Davies said a number of countries on the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors support plans to invoke the rarely used sanction.

Like Iran, Syria is suspected of hiding weapons-related nuclear
activities and has blocked access to a suspected nuclear site destroyed
by Israeli warplanes in September 2007.

"We need to keep the focus very much on Iran — but stay tuned on Syria,
because Syria I think would love to just stave off any serious action to
get to the bottom of what they were doing," Davies told reporters in
London.

A recent IAEA report said that uranium particles found at the Dair
Alzour desert facility indicate possible covert nuclear activities. The
finding supported Western allegations that the bombed target was a
nearly completed nuclear reactor which the US alleges was of North
Korean design and intended to produce weapons-grade plutonium.

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